Airborne firefighting training delayed

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The U.S. Forest Service and U.S. military's annual airborne firefighting training using air drops in Wyoming has been delayed to the end of the week because of high winds.

In the meantime, crews will attend classroom sessions, flight training and certification for military flight crews and civilian lead plane pilots.

Military C-130s can drop up to 3,000 gallons of retardant or water to aid in wildfire suppression.

Trained crews were deployed in Wyoming, Colorado, Idaho and California during the 2012 fire season.

The military authority for the program was created in the early 1970s to support wild-land firefighting through an agreement with the U.S. Forest Service. The military aircraft are requested by the National Interagency Fire Center and activated through the Department of Defense.